Town of Ulster nears permit plan for parking near Ulster County Business Resource Center

TOWN OF ULSTER, N.Y. -- The Town Board is ready to move forward with a parking permit plan intended to keep people who work at the Ulster County Business Resource Center from leaving vehicles in front of homes.

Councilwoman Cris Hendrick said at a recent board meeting that the permits would be given to residents based on the section/block/lot (SBL) number of their homes.

"Instead of the permits having the car license number, the permits instead would have the SBL number that's attached to the residence that they are getting the permits for," Hendrick said.

"Each residence is going to be given ... five permits," she said, "so we need to make sure that permits are aligned with the homes so people in the home are always going to have the same SBL. The only time it's going to change is when it's transferred to another homeowner."

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The proposed regulations would mandate permits for parking between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday on sections of Plainfield, Yarmouth, Northfield and Southfield streets, Watson Lane and Stahlman Place, all of which are near the Business Resource Center on Ulster Avenue.

Permits would be free to residents of those areas and cost $1,000 each for non-residents.

"We've set up our Parking Ticket Bureau," Hendrick said. "We've crossed a lot of t's to make this happen, and I'd like to see it come to fruition."

Town officials posted "no parking" signs several years ago on Plainfield Street after receiving complaints from homeowners. But residents say that created a hardship for Northfield Street residents because Business Resource Center employees simply parked there instead.

Hendrick, when proposing the permit plan last year, said there are 513 spaces in the Business Resource Center parking lot intended to serve 457 employees of several county departments, Ulster County Community College, the Ulster County Development Corp., the Development Center for Business, the Mid-Hudson Health and Safety Institute, the Service Corps of Retired Executives and the Small Business Development Center. The officials said the parking shortage is the result of additional spaces being needed for clients of those offices and other visitors.

County officials have said there is nothing they can do if employees of the Business Resource Center choose to park on residential streets.

Under the proposed law, there would be a $200 fine for parking illegally where permits are required.